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Motorists who use the Pango mobile app to pay at parking meters in Scranton will get reimbursed for any inadvertent overcharges since Sept. 1, the new operator of the city’s parking system said.
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The ailing Valley View High School pool is temporarily closed. School board directors unanimously voted Wednesday to decommission the natatorium and preserve the area until funding becomes available
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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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Three chambers of commerce serving Wayne and Pike counties plan to consolidate into the Chamber of the Northern Poconos.

Citing duplication of services and economic and logistic necessity, the boards of directors of the Pocono Lake Region, Southern Wayne and Wayne County chambers of commerce expect to consolidate after a joint general membership meeting Wednesay at 11:15 a.m. at Ehrhardt's Waterfront Resort at Lake Wallenpaupack.

"We all agree that we want to deliver more services to our members," said James Shook, president of Pocono Lakes Regional Chamber. "By combining resources, we will be able to do more for our members and speak with a stronger voice."

With the boards endorsing the plan, members are expected to approve the consolidation.

The idea of a merger first came up several years ago, when chamber leaders noticed a growing number of businesses joining all three chambers. The discussion then centered on extending a discount to those businesses. That led to collaboration among the chambers on projects and events. The chamber principals noticed that when they worked together, they got more attention from the public and politicians.

While the three chambers are in Wayne County, about a third of members are based in Pike County - an area they hope to grow by casting a wider net. The chamber retained consultant Scott J. Weiland who helped the leaders brainstorm and work out the finer point of the collaboration.

According to the merger plan, the three existing chamber boards will continue to operate as committees under a consolidated board. Offices, and generally the staffs, will remain, with Pocono Lake in Hawley, Southern Wayne in Hamlin, and Wayne County in Honesdale.

In a few years, however, it's possible the committees will fold and the organizations will be fully integrated, Mr. Shook said.

Wednesday's meeting will include an overview of the process provided by Mr. Weiland, along with the unveiling of the Chamber of the Northern Poconos logo.

The organizations have worked together closely on events in a partnership that rarely approached competition, said Todd Stephens, president of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. But there are some territorial issues.

Michael J. Sullivan, executive director of the Pike County Economic Development Authority, applauds the chambers' move.

Earlier in his career, he served as executive director of a chamber of commerce in Orange County, N.Y., which competed vigorously with another chamber in the region. Mr. Sullivan participated in early talks to consolidate and the two organizations eventual merged.

"The end result was a finer chamber that served members better, and had more political, business and economic power," he said.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.comThe players

- Pocono Lake Region Chamber of Commerce,

2512 Route 6, Suite 2, Hawley

President: James Shook

Members: 270

- Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, 32 Commercial St., Honesdale

President: Todd J. Stephens

Members: 460

- Southern Wayne Regional Chamber of Commerce,

569 Easton Turnpike, Hamlin

President: Ann E. O'Reilly

Members: 155

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